Demountable back rest for divanbed combination



Feb. 6, 1945. R McKAY 2,368,935

DEMOUNTABLE BACK REST FOR DIVAN-BED COMBINATION Filed Oct. 8 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l es R.MC.KL3,

Feb. 6, 1945. J. R. M KAY 2,368,938

DEMOUNTABLE BACK REST FOR DIVAN-BED COMBINATION Filed Oct. 8,- 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet? Y {b, I

l 56 mmuw F .4 6 James IZ.MK@,

necessary to make them .upinto Patented Feb. 6 1945 UNITED STATES (DEMOUNTABLE BACK .mzsrr FDR DIVAN-I n BED GOMINATION I w James Mum, White Plains, N; Y. A plicati n October 8,1941, :Serial No.k414,1-73

7 Claims. 01; Bi-r2) The present invention relates to a demountazble back rest for use in combination with a. bed to provide in effect a convertible divan or sofa; More particularly,- the invention relatesito= aide mountable back rest embodying certainnnovel features and devices by which it is rendered adapted to be readily mounted and securely fastened in position on a singlebed so as .totunction as a sofa or divan or to be readily removed therefrom to permit use of "the, entire bed. for sleeping purposes. p

The invention is particularly adapted; toconvert a full sized single bed having the' standard box springs and mattress into .acomfortable div'an or sofa by means .of a mountable and dem'ountable back rest having-certain novel :features of construction which permits attachment thereof with a minimumof effortrami'which 'as sures a strong yielding support-during uselzin combination with thebed,

It is well known that the'various-types .of folding d-ivan-beds and studio couches which .arerdesigned for use in apartments :andlivingtquarters having limited space require so much physical effort to convert'them into bedsas to defeat their provide a comfortable and luxurious sofa or: van, even though the bed be moved :orplaced out away from tanywa-lL- such as iii-front of .a tire place, for example. I "The It means -her'einafterde' scribed permits the: back -rest to he readilyfastened into position upon a single bed with'little efiort and may. be i applied whether :the' is made up or'zn'ot. Y i

One-of the objects of the to provide .a form .offzccnvertibl'e' :divanbrrsofa 'wh'ichby day has the appearance-of asofaor from the form in which-it is adapted'for a d-ivery purpose in .many instances, particularly in I van orisofainto' a bed without way disturbing the bed structure or changing or otherversion of the divan into :a bed or vice versa merely detaching or attaching, .as the case'may erence' to undergoing 'the trouble and exertion whati's atlbest an unsatisfactory bed. i y

In connectionwith the ause of the ordinary studio couch 'or. day-bed, the cushions. provide little comfort art-support for the back because of the fact that they loosely rest upon'the back edge or .rear portion of the studio couch or'day-rbed and lean against the room wall for support. Whenever an occupant ileansqback against such 40 form of demountable back .rest" of flight weight cushions, the day-bed or couch -gradually creeps or slides away from the 'wall until the cushions drop to the floor, resulting .in discomfort zandan The invention hereinafter.described'provides -a I form of back rest wh-ichmay be readily andee onre'ly fastened: in such positiorlbn: :a; bed as to be, a back' rest of novel light construction which isv adapted to .give ample b'acklsupp'oi't when combined. with the 'b'e'dlasj hereinafter described to form the divan or so'faf combination.

Another, object or the invention is to rovide readily at:

"no head a form of back yres't'fwhich may taohed to the type of single bed having or .f oot' bbards and in which the, legs aref'fas'tene'd directlyonto thev .b'ox springs, so that the "back rest may .be mounted'directly over the mattress or on the bed in the fully made up. form,

Another Object Of the lnVe'Il'tiOIi is 116 provide a construction material, .such as :.a jlijghtjwood, a reinforced fibre board material, alplas' c com-- position, or a light weight metal sftfuctur'iwliicli may be mounted'upon' .a single 'bed without-sub stantial physical exertion and which may". tened .in such a manner as. to permit fthefb back rest combination to be fully .coveie'd'with the-usual .sli'p .cover or removable upholstery material to conceal thew-fastening .t'oggen erally improve the appearanceflof the .divamform 1 combination. M v uWith' these zand othercbjects in View; which willlappear lfromthefnllowing detailed e'scrll'irthe inyentiQn-c nipfises. the various present invention is tures and combinations hereinafter set forth and defined in the annexed claims.

The .various features of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings showing the invention in its preferred form, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing the demountable back rest of my invention as combined with or mounted on a single bed havin a the usual box spring and mattress but without ahead or foot boardjthe right side of the assembly being shown with the slip cover in place;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view in elevation taken on the section line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view'in elevation I '15'couch 'coveror' slip cover extending over the taken on the section line 3-3 of Fig. 1; I

- Fig. 4, is a fragmentary detailed sectional-view The fastening means hereinafter described may taken on the sectionline. 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view on a reduced scale showing the under side of the backrest from the right in Fig. 1, illustrating the preferred form'of construction of the lowersupporting surface-for the back rest; I 1 l Fig. 6 is a front view in elevation showing a portion of the preferred form of fastening meansv for attaching the back rest in place on the bed structure; and

Fig. 7 .is a detailed viewin side elevation of the portion of the fastening means illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral 2designates the demountable back rest of my invention, having arm rests 4 and fi which are preferably connected tothe bottom portion 5 of the back rest and spaced a suitable distance from the front frame portion 8, which serves to support a number of cushions as l0, l2 and M, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

The rear endof the back rest is preferably provided with a member l6 which is preferably vertically arranged so as to be parallel with the rear-marginal portionof the single bed 18 on which it is to be mounted. The forward portion 8 and the rear portion l6 of the back rest are preferably connected with an upper member 20, which with the end members 22' and 24 serves as a spacing means for holding the main supporting members 8'and I6 in place..

The arm members 4 and 6 are preferably hol members 26 and 28 and with oneor more transverse members as 30, as indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, to serve in part as a supporting surface for the back rest when positioned on the mattress -32 of the bed structure. The longitu dinal and transverse members, as 26, 28 and 30; may be provided'on the underside, which isto r contact with the bed surface, with suitable pad- 60 ding 34,136 and 3.8 in order to prevent creasing or injury to the bed clothes through constant use of the back rest on the bed.

" The rear lower edge ofthe back portion I6 and the lower. outer side portions 40, 42 and the front portions 44 and 46 of the side members are preferably outwardly flanged so as to extend over the marginal edges of the mattress'32 or.

the correspondingmade-up bed portions and to prevent slipping or sliding of the back rest when attached as hereinafter described.-

It is to be understood that thelower supporting surface of the back rest may be varied as desired and may be made in one integral member' extending over'the entire surface of the bota aeaese tom of the back rest if desired. By the use of the transverse and longitudinal members. as above described, however, the interior portion of the back rest is rendered accessible through 5 the openings at the bottom between the said members so" as to provide'access to a storage space in the interior of the back rest for the storage of pillows, blankets and other accessories. The, backrest abovedescribed may be connected to asingle bed preferably in the made-up form by suitable adjustable attaching means of a form which may be connected withthe desired or variable tension and which are of a form which may be concealed by means of a entire backrest and bed to which it is attached.

be "readily operated and fastened or unfastened by one person without substantial physical exertion, so that the back rest-may be readily attached to a bed which has been made up, or easily removed from the bed to render it available for sleeping by a minimumnumber of movements which may be readily carried out by one '25 Derson. m I

The preferred form of fastening meanscomprises adjustable straps 48 and 50 connectedto a ring member 52 and which in turn is connected to a hook'member 54 at a pivot 56. The hook 0 member is preferably provided with a handle 58.

The strap members 48 and 50 are preferablyarrangedto engage in opening 60 and 62in the side portions 40, 42 of theback rest member and buckles 64 and 66 are preferably provided in the strap members so as to permit adjusting the effective length of the straps, by which the amount of forcenecessary-to fasten the back rest in place on the bed structure maybe determined or. adjusted. In' order= to fastenthe hook member in place, a female or hook-engaging member .68 is provided :having .a. plate portion 10 adapted to be screwedor otherwise fastened to the lower frame portion 12 of the bed 18 at substantially the mid portion thereof. as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The hookengaging member 68 is preferably formed withv aiiixed fulcrum forthe lever in" such relative positions that the lever.may be passed beyond the dead-point or center-line into holding or clamped position. For this purpose, the hookengaging member 68'is preferably formed with an upwardly extendinghook portion or curved portion 14 and guide members 16, l8at the'lower portion thereof so-that when the; hook portion 80 of the male member 54 is inserted; under the hook portion" of the plate member 68, the ring member 52 and strap members 48Sandi50 are forced downwardly inltension, whereby as the handle '58 is thrust inwardly between the guide members 16 and l8', a lever action around the hooks 8D and 74 as a fulcrum is provided, by which the lever is seated and the back rest 'is fastened, one end at'a time, over the bed.

If it is desired to employ a single integral bottom member 5 for supportin 'theback rest together with the outwardly extendingside portions under the arm members 4"and 6, access to I the interior storage space 82 in the interior of the back rest may be obtained by the use of a hinged top member 20,'which;ma y be hinged along the rear'edge, for example, and bepr'ovided with a catch or' looking member' 'a'tuts" forwardedge if desired. It is to be understood, however,'. that the open construction'as illus-' 75 trated in Fig. 5isordinarily preferred'so'that asnagae'a back rest.

Whenv the back rest. is in; place on, the: bed, a snugly fitting, couch cover or slip; cover 840i suitable fabric may be placed over. theentire back rest and bedso-as' to completely cover them, thus concealing the straps. or [fastening means by which the backrest is. held in place; It is. to be: understood that. the cushionsl; 12,, I4 maybe of any suitable material. such. as the, commonly usedlatex airfoam and: the pad.- ding 34, 36 and 38- may also be of the same material, if desired, to. support, the'weightof the back rest against the upper surface. of the. bed. It will also be understood. that the dimensions of the back rest may be varied. as. desiredto fit a bed of, any given dimensions andto. provide thedesired amount of. seating surface infrontof the front supporting surface 8, .or. more properly in front of. the backcushions I0, I21 and I4.

It. will be 'understoodfthat. in the preferred form of the invention th..marginal portions around the bottom 5 of theback rest, which extends over the margins or. edgeportionsof' the bed or mattress may be. rounded or flanged so as to, provide a slight clearance to provide for. slight deviationsin the mattress orv bedsize, sothatthe edgeportions of the backrest extend, out. beyond the sides and the back portions of the mattress or bed. If the bed is made up, the. flanged portion extends outwardly to. a sufiicientyextent. so as to fit over the edges of the mad'e-upbedl While the preferred formof'. theinventionemploys onlytwo fastening, members of theY-form as illustrated in Fig. 1' of the. drawingsin which the branches of the Y arespread sufficiently so that there is, an equalpullfroml each. side of the center. line of. theback rest. member. toward the plate member 1a or fulcrum 8.0, it willbe under,- stood. that additional. fastening, means. maybe employed if desired. specific. installations.-. I may for exampleemploy 'a similar fastening means 84 at the mid-portion of the rear flange 86 in which the fastening means is similar tothat already described, or if desired, a single strap may be used attached to a ring member similar to 52 and secured in position in a manner similar to that already described. A similar trap member may also be attached at the front of the back rest at the portions 44 and 46 of the side or end members if desired, although in the ordinary installations the additional holding strap are not required.

It will be apparent, therefore, that various changes or modifications may be made in the details of construction of the demountable back rest and the means for fastening the same to a bed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the annexed claims. In certain installations, where desired, I may omit the arm rests 4 and 6 entir'ely and in this form of construction the fastening means may comprise a single strap connected to each end of the back rest member and to a lever mem all under said forwardly extending arms the her which may be seated on the bed member as substantially centered; andaif the; Y -form,of fastoning is employed the straps 48.! and, 50 should be attached to the back rest frame atthe endsat substantially equal distances from-.theendcenter lines so as todistribute or substantially equalize I the holding forces in a forward and rearward directionv laterally of, the back restso 1 as. teasecurely hold' the same: in place on the. bedmember'.

While the fastening, means for securingthe back. restv member in. place on; thebedmember has been described as having. the plate member and. fulcrum thereon". secured. or connectedigto the bed member, and. the straps andlever. or

tightening. means secured to the back restmember,'it. will be. apparent that these. may be reversedinposition. so thatthe lever means, for exampleis connected to. thebedmember and the fulcrum means is connected: to the back-rest member. I desire, therefore, not to be, limited to the form of construction and: the position -of the parts as illustrated in, the preferred-'embodie ment of the inventionasdescribed,:but. the pants and positions thereof may. be varied as war be apparent to, thosev skilled. in the art: without. departing from the: invention as: defined inr,- the claims.

Having, thus described; the. invention, what? is claimed as. new is:

1. A back rest structure adapted-tojb-emounted on a single. bed; comprising .a bottom supporting surface,- a. rear vertical member, a. supporting surface forwardly thereof and inclined rear.

wardly,. a top member joining theqsaid vertical.

member and forward. supporting; surface-,..,arm

membersv extending. upwardly from said; bottom supporting surface. outwardly. extending flanged portions adjacent said bottom supporting sure face, anropeninginsaid bottom supporting surface tov provide accessto storage space. between I said, vertical member, said supporting. surface forwardly thereof and said topmembensopenaings in. said flanged. portions, adjustable strap members connected to. said: openings" and lever means. for forcing said .strap members "downwards ly. to holdsaid back rest in place. I

2; An article of...furniture. of. thegkind' de scribed comprising: in combination. a; bed; mem? her, a demountable back rest member of light construction having forwardly extending arms at the side portions of .the back rest member,

said back rest member extending longitudinally, I

the entire length of the bed member and later entire width of the bed member so as to leave exposed on the bed surface ample seating space between said arms forwardly of the back rest member, said back rest member having marginal flange portions extending over the marginal edges.

3. An article of furniture of the kind described comprising in combination a bed, a demountable back rest of light construction having back, front Y -form of fastening-means for holding the: back rest; membersin place onthe bedrmembern In either. instance, the strap, members should: be

and top members serving to include a storage space therebetween, forwardly extending arms at the side portions of the back rest, said back rest extending longitudinally the entire length of the bed and laterally under said forwardly extending arms the entire width of the bed so as to leave exposed on the bed surface ample seating space between said arms forwardly of the said front member, said arms being spaced from said front member a sufficient distance to permit the use of cushions therebetween, said back rest mem her having marginal flange portions extending over the marginal edges of the bed, means for securing the back rest in position on said bed including strap members in the form of a Y attached to the side marginal flange portions, a

sofa, comprising a rear supporting element of bed length and of a width to cover a substantial portion of the rear. top surface of the bed, said supporting element having a portion at each end thereof of a length to extend forwardly to the front edge of said bed surface and of a width to form a base support for an arm rest, a back rest member mounted on the rear supporting element and an arm rest member mounted on each arm rest support, said back rest member comprising a forward wall element extending upwardly along" the front edge of the said rear supporting element and means concealing the said rear supporting'element said forward wall element and adjustable fastening means for securing said structure upon said bed.

5. An article of furniture of the kind described comprising in combination an open top bed having no head or foot boards, a demountable backrest member having a longitudinally extending back-rest portion-and transverse arm-rest portions combined therewith in a unitary structure 1 so as to leave a free open portion between the said arm-rest portions, said unitary back-rest and arm-rest portions being mountable as a unit on said open-top bed so as to expose a free seating 1 amount of force required to fasten [the back-rest v surface on thebed between said arm-rest portions forwardly of said back-rest portion, fasteningmeans attached to the ends of the back-rest member and attachable to the ends of the said open-top bed so as to resist displacement of the back-rest member when in mounted position on said bed and means for varying the effective length of said fastening means to control the member in place on said open-top bed.

. 6. An article of furniture of the kind described comprising in combination an open-top bed having a box spring and mattress without head or foot boards, a demountable back-rest member having a longitudinally extending back-rest portion and transverse forwardly extending arm-rest portions combined therewith-in a unitary structure' so as to leave a free open portion between the arm-rest portions, said unitary back-rest and arm-rest portions being mountable as a unit on said open-top bed so as to expose a free seating surface on the bed between said arm-rest por- 1 tions forwardly of said back-rest portion, each of said arm-rest portions having a flat under surface adapted to rest on the adjacent bed surface and a marginal flange extending outwardly from said under surfaceof' the arm-rest portions so as to extend over the adjacent marginal end-portion of the bed and adjustable forked fastening means carried at the end portions of the backrest member for attaching the back-rest member to the end portions of the bed. I

7. An article of furniture of the kind described comprising in combination an open-top bed, a demountable back-rest of unitary structure having a back portion and forwardly extending arms at the sides thereof 1eaving a free open space between said arms, each of said arms having a flat under surface adapted to rest on the adjacent bed surface and an outwardly extending flange at the lower outer side of each of said arms adapted to extend over the adjacent marginal end of the bed to prevent longitudinal slipping of the back-rest in attached position, an adjustable fastening means inY-form carried at least in part by the said back rest and mounted so as to be connected at the ends of the bed to the corresponding adjacent back-rest portion and lever means forming partof said fastening means for connecting said fastening means in adjusted position.

JAMES R. McKAY. 

